I'd love to see true TES magic skill lines like conjuration, destruction, mysticism, illusion, alteration and restoration. Mainly so I can use magic spells without needing to equip a staff and have the option to wield magic on one hand with a weapon or shield on the other hand or dual wield magic in both hands. I want Spellcrafting more than anything, but if they decide not to ever bring it then this is a wish for seeing an alternate way implemented. I edited some ways that certain things are done to fit into an mmo a little more in line.
I hope that Conjuring Summons in ESO is more fluid and complex than it currently is. A franchise that is very much about summons is Final Fantasy. That game has two very good versions of summons in FFXI and FFXII. FFXI had my favorite summoning system, but I think this game is too fast paced for that type of system to work here. If ESO tried something like that and it worked, I would be so happy. But if that is not possible then I want them to look into "The Gambit System from FFXII", which is a very deep, customizable AI assigned to NPC companions so they compliment your playstyle fluidly and efficiently.
FFXI Summoner and Summons Explanation:
FFXI job similar to ESO Sorcerer is called Summoner. It is a job that can cast some elemental magic but it's main power comes from Summoned Pets called Avatars. The class there is a very powerful class that relies on Magic Pool to be efficient and do the best damage or sustained damage. The FFXI version of Ultimates were called 2 hours because that was the cooldown on using an ability called Astral Flow, the most powerful effect of a summoner. Every avatar the class could conjure had it's own ultimate. Every avatar the class could summon had Blood Pacts, blood pacts are like Class specific ability/skills that each Avatar had. During an Astral Flow(Ultimate) higher more powerful forms of Blood pacts(avatar ability/skills were available.
The main resource summoner had to watch was Magic Points(Magicka).There was this resource tick down called Perpetuation Cost. The cost meant that as soon as you summoned your Avatar, your Magic Points(Magicka) would begin ticking down. Blood Pacts(avatar ability/skills) cost mp. So if you dropped to low in magic pool, you would be unable to cast avatar skills. One word on Astral Flow(Ultimate), when using your ultimate every single ounce of your magic pool was depleted resulting in your avatar leaving after executing the Astral Flow.
Avatar Perpetuation Cost:
At Level one the MP tick would drop 7 Magic Points(Magicka) every 3 seconds.
At Level cap the MP tick would drop 15 Magic Points every 3 seconds.
Just including a picture of Ifrit(Flame Atronach comparison) for visual
And here is a video showing some Avatar footage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL9FKLB2xas
Final word: If this was able to work. It would you would need either a 3rd hotbar for summoned pets or your second hotbar assigned to the summoned pet.
FFXII Gambit System Explanation:
The Gambit System allows the player to create a list of commands and dependencies to be carried out automatically by the non playable characters to simplify the combat system.All commands relate to (are targeted on) the character, the character's allies, or the enemies on-screen.
Gambits are composed of a target, a condition and an action to be performed on the target, only if the condition is true. If the condition is not true, the next gambit in the list is checked, and so on. The list is not in order of which action is taken; for example, a gambit with the "Enemy = Flying" condition at the top of the gambit list will only activate when the party encounters a flying enemy. Actions can be either the use of items or the casting of skills and magic. In or out of battle, each character can have have each individual gambit in their list turned on or off, at the gambit screen.
- Gambits contain certain hidden conditions to be intuitive and functional.
- Enemies immediately cease to be targets once they die.
- Allies will not revive a character who is not KO'd.
- Allies will not recast a status buffer if the character still has it, e.g. a gambit for Haste will not be activated if the character already has the Haste status.
- AI will not have two characters simultaneously cast a status buffer or revive a KO'd character twice; i.e. if two characters have a gambit set-up to revive a fallen party member, either with a Phoenix Down or Raise spell, and a party member is KO'd, only one of the characters will have their gambit to revive them executed.
Action: Constraints
Another type of hidden condition, but one that generally works against the player, is that a gambit may not be executed, even if its condition is true, if its action cannot be performed because of the normal game rules. For example, a gambit with the action to cast the spell Haste will only be done if the character has enough MP to cast it and is not under a restrictive status such as Silence, Disable, or other that prohibits the use of magick.
A similar constraint applies to the use of items, i.e. a gambit calling for the use of a Hi-Potion will only be performed if there is at least one in the party's inventory.
Different Types Of Gambits:
Ally Gambits:
All conditions require a party member to be under a certain condition. You can set priorities so your AI companion takes the action you want in order of importance. Priority A-Z, A is first Z would be last. You might set summon to cure when your allies Health is below 50% as priority A, taunt an enemy hurting an ally as priority B, remove a debuff as priority C,etc.
Action(Condition)
Ally: any
Ally: party leader
Ally: 1
Ally: 2
Ally: 3
Ally: 4
Ally: 5
Ally: 6
Ally: 7
Ally: 8
Ally: 9
Ally: 10
Ally: 11
Ally: 12
Ally: lowest HP
Ally: strongest weapon
Ally: lowest defense
Ally: lowest magick resist
Ally: HP < 100%
Ally: HP < 90%
Ally: HP < 80%
Ally: HP < 70%
Ally: HP < 60%
Ally: HP < 50%
Ally: HP < 40%
Ally: HP < 30%
Ally: HP < 20%
Ally: HP < 10%
Ally: MP < 100%
Ally: MP < 90%
Ally: MP < 80%
Ally: MP < 70%
Ally: MP < 60%
Ally: MP < 50%
Ally: MP < 40%
Ally: MP < 30%
Ally: MP < 20%
Ally: MP < 10%
Ally: status = KO
Ally: status = Stone
Ally: status = Petrify
Ally: status = Stop
Ally: status = Sleep
Ally: status = Confuse
Ally: status = Doom
Ally: status = Blind
Ally: status = Poison
Ally: status = Silence
Ally: status = Sap
Ally: status = Oil
Ally: status = Reverse
Ally: status = Disable
Ally: status = Immobilize
Ally: status = Slow
Ally: status = Disease
Ally: status = Lure
Ally: status = Protect
Ally: status = Shell
Ally: status = Haste
Ally: status = Bravery
Ally: status = Faith
Ally: status = Reflect
Ally: status = Invisible
Ally: status = Regen
Ally: status = Float
Ally: status = Berserk
Ally: status = Bubble
Ally: status = HP Critical
Ally: item AMT ≧ 10
Foe Gambits:
All conditions require an enemy to be under a certain condition.You can set priorities so your AI companion takes the action you want in order of importance. Priority A-Z, A is first Z would be last. You might have your summon taunt an enemy hitting you as priority A, have your summon attack the enemy with lowest health as priority B, or inflict an enemy with a debuff as priority C,etc.
Foe: party leader's target
Foe: nearest visible
Foe: any
Foe: targeting leader
Foe: targeting self
Foe: targeting ally
Foe: furthest
Foe: nearest
Foe: highest HP
Foe: lowest HP
Foe: highest max HP
Foe: lowest max HP
Foe: highest MP
Foe: lowest MP
Foe: highest max MP
Foe: lowest max MP
Foe: highest level
Foe: lowest level
Foe: highest strength
Foe: lowest strength
Foe: highest magick power
Foe: lowest magick power
Foe: highest speed
Foe: lowest speed
Foe: highest defense
Foe: highest magick resist
Foe: HP ≧ 100,000
Foe: HP ≧ 50,000
Foe: HP ≧ 10,000
Foe: HP ≧ 5,000
Foe: HP ≧ 3,000
Foe: HP ≧ 2,000
Foe: HP ≧ 1,000
Foe: HP ≧ 500
Foe: HP < 100,000
Foe: HP < 50,000
Foe: HP < 10,000
Foe: HP < 5,000
Foe: HP < 3,000
Foe: HP < 2,000
Foe: HP < 1,000
Foe: HP < 500
Foe: HP = 100%
Foe: HP ≧ 70%
Foe: HP ≧ 50%
Foe: HP ≧ 30%
Foe: status = Petrify
Foe: status = Stop
Foe: status = Sleep
Foe: status = Confuse
Foe: status = Doom
Foe: status = Blind
Foe: status = Poison
Foe: status = Silence
Foe: status = Sap
Foe: status = Oil
Foe: status = Reverse
Foe: status = Disable
Foe: status = Immobilize
Foe: status = Slow
Foe: status = Disease
Foe: status = Protect
Foe: status = Shell
Foe: status = Haste
Foe: status = Bravery
Foe: status = Faith
Foe: status = Reflect
Foe: status = Regen
Foe: status = Berserk
Foe: status = HP Critical
Foe: fire-weak
Foe: lightning-weak
Foe: ice-weak
Foe: earth-weak
Foe: water-weak
Foe: wind-weak
Foe: holy-weak
Foe: dark-weak
Foe: fire-vulnerable
Foe: lightning-vulnerable
Foe: ice-vulnerable
Foe: earth-vulnerable
Foe: water-vulnerable
Foe: wind-vulnerable
Foe: holy-vulnerable
Foe: dark-vulnerable
Foe: undead
Foe: flying
Foe: character HP = 100%
Foe: item AMT ≧ 10
Foe: character status = Blind
Foe: character status = Silence
Foe: character status = Bravery
Foe: character status = Faith
Foe: character status = HP Critical
Foe: character MP ≧ 90%
Foe: character MP ≧ 70%
Foe: character MP ≧ 50%
Foe: character MP ≧ 30%
Foe: character MP ≧ 10%
Foe: character MP < 90%
Foe: character MP < 70%
Foe: character MP < 50%
Foe: character MP < 30%
Foe: character MP < 10%
Foe: character HP ≧ 90%
Foe: character HP ≧ 70%
Foe: character HP ≧ 50%
Foe: character HP ≧ 30%
Foe: character HP ≧ 10%
Foe: character HP < 90%
Foe: character HP < 70%
Foe: character HP < 50%
Foe: character HP < 30%
Foe: character HP < 10%
Self Gambits:
All conditions require you to be under a certain condition. You can set priorities so your AI companion takes the action you want in order of importance. Priority A-Z, A is first Z would be last.
You might set summon to cure you when Health is below 50% as priority A, taunt an enemy hurting you as priority B, remove a debuff from you as priority C,etc.
Self
Self: HP < 100%
Self: HP < 90%
Self: HP < 80%
Self: HP < 70%
Self: HP < 60%
Self: HP < 50%
Self: HP < 40%
Self: HP < 30%
Self: HP < 20%
Self: HP < 10%
Self: MP < 100%
Self: MP < 90%
Self: MP < 80%
Self: MP < 70%
Self: MP < 60%
Self: MP < 50%
Self: MP < 40%
Self: MP < 30%
Self: MP < 20%
Self: MP < 10%
Self: status = Petrify
Self: status = Doom
Self: status = Blind
Self: status = Poison
Self: status = Silence
Self: status = Sap
Self: status = Oil
Self: status = Reverse
Self: status = Immobilize
Self: status = Slow
Self: status = Disease
Self: status = Lure
Self: status = Protect
Self: status = Shell
Self: status = Haste
Self: status = Bravery
Self: status = Faith
Self: status = Reflect
Self: status = Invisible
Self: status = Regen
Self: status = Float
Self: status = Bubble
Self: status = HP Critical
Keep in mind that gambits were restricted to allies and not summons in this game. But the idea could very easily be worked to work for summoned pets in ESO. And if any NPC companions come to ESO later, this system would lend itself to that as a very welcome addition.